Exosomes from Plasmodium-infected hosts inhibit tumor angiogenesis in a murine Lewis lung cancer model

Previous research to investigate the interaction between malaria infection and tumor progression has revealed that malaria infection can potentiate host immune response against tumor in tumor-bearing mice. Exosomes may play key roles in disseminating pathogenic host-derived molecules during infection because several studies have shown the involvement and roles of extracellular vesicles in cell–cell communication. However, the role of exosomes generated during Plasmodium infection in tumor growth, progression and angiogenesis has not been studied either in animals or in the clinics. To test this hypothesis, we designed an animal model to generate and isolate exosomes from mice which were subsequently used to treat the tumor. Intra-tumor injection of exosomes derived from the plasma of Plasmodium-infected mice provided significantly reduced Lewis lung cancer growth in mice. We further co-cultured the isolated exosomes with endothelial cells and observed significantly reduced expression of VEGFR2 and migration in the endothelial cells. Interestingly, high level of micro-RNA (miRNA) 16/322/497/17 was detected in the exosomes derived from the plasma of mice infected with Plasmodium compared with those from control mice. We observed that overexpression of the miRNA 16/322/497/17 in endothelial cell corresponded with decreased expression of VEGFR2, inhibition of angiogenesis and inhibition of the miRNA 16/322/497/17 significantly alleviated these effects. These data provide novel scientific evidence of the interaction between Plasmodium infection and lung cancer growth and angiogenesis.